The bed made for Edwin Lascelles by Thomas Chippendale in 1773 was a masterpiece of design and execution. Standing resplendent in an alcove in the state bedchamber, framed on either side with Ionic columns, it provided the focal point of the state apartment at Harewood House, conceived by Robert Adam and designed as an integral unit. Richly carved and gilded, it was hung with green damask and lavishly trimmed with expensive fringe. The walls of the room and the adjoining dressing room were covered with the same fabric and edged with a gilded 'Carved Antique Border'. Drapery window curtains in both rooms, complete with elaborate gilt cornices, were made to match, and the seat furniture, also upholstered en suite, continued the colour scheme of green and gold. According to the surviving accounts, it was the only 'state' bed provided by Chippendale and, at £250 (without upholstery), it cost nearly five times as much as his next most expensive bed made for Sir Rowland Winn at Nostell Priory two years earlier. Reflected in the great pier glasses and oval mirrors also supplied by Chippendale, the bed and its complement of furniture must have looked superb, particularly in candlelight, the whole Gilt in Burnished Gold'.

1. For transcription of the full account for the State Bed and bedchamber , see Christopher Gilbert, The Life and Work of Thomas Chippendale, Studio Vista, 1978, pp 206 -207

The Harewood bed was one of the last 'beds of state' to be made, the idea of a formal apartment being regarded as rather old-fashioned by the 1770s. Unfortunately, no contemporary description of it survives or any account of its use, but it remained in the state bedroom until Sir Charles Barry was employed in the 1840s to make major alterations to the house. Concerned with domestic efficiency, one of the 'improvements' undertaken was the creation of a connecting corridor at the back of the state bedchamber, thus reducing the size of the bed alcove. The room was subsequently redecorated as a sitting room for the 3rd Countess of Harewood. The bed, now redundant and too large to be moved conveniently to another bedroom, was dismantled. It was crated and stored, first in the house, then in the roof void of the stable block when the house was used as a hospital during the Second World War.

The fate of the bed now lay in the balance, a situation not dissimilar to many great beds as a consequence of changing tastes and living styles. Together with a number of pier glasses and oval mirrors, also discarded during Barry's alterations, it slumbered, half-forgotten, until it was rediscovered by the late Christopher Gilbert in the 1970s. At this stage photographs were taken of the dome but the bed was then packed away and moved again, this time to the old laundry on the Harewood estate. Here disaster struck and the bed suffered flood damage caused by vandals. A decision now had to be made about its future before the bed fell into complete disrepair. In the early 1980s there was an attempt to refurbish the bed by repairing the dome, renewing the rails and head-frame, and reweaving the silk damask for the hangings, copying the pattern and colour of the original fabric still surviving inside the dome. But the expense and enormity of the task was too great and in 1986 the bed was given to the newly formed Harewood House Trust and moved to Christie's warehouse in London for safe storage.

The bed had suffered over the years. None of the silk hangings survived except remnants from inside the dome, all the trimmings - the vast quantities of lace and fringe and the twenty-two tassels - had disappeared, and much of the fragile attached carved ornament, piled in boxes and containers, was in pieces and devoid of its gessoed, gilt surface. It was a sorry and disheartening sight but not, it was felt, beyond redemption.

The decision was taken by the Harewood House Trust to restore the bed to its former glory and, in due course, a project team was brought together to consider how best to tackle the problem.

With funding from the Trust and the Yorkshire and Humberside Museums Council, a programme of sorting, recording and photographing the surviving component parts commenced. First, the original sections integral to the structure of the bed were identified: the four fluted bed posts with their separate vase finials and matching castor covers; the dome canopy with its wide band of fluted and carved leaf moulding; and the dome itself, complete with a broad section of carved festoon ornament surrounding its base, and a vase final with lion masks and swags of roses to crown the top. Only the headboard and bed rails were found to be replacements, made in the early 1980s. Next, the applied ornament formerly attached to the dome, including various widths of leaf and guilloche moulding and bands of pierced ornament, numerous star-shaped paterae and four ribs of large foliate husks, were sorted and assessed for damage. This undertaking was considerably more complex and time-consuming than first imagined as so much was broken and suffering from rot and woodworm penetration which had to be treated before being safely stored.

There then followed an attempt to reconstruct the original design of the bed to see if any major design elements were missing which would prevent an accurate restoration. A wealth of physical evidence was still visible in the structure of the bed so every screw hole, tacking mark and shadow was closely examined to see where and how the various elements fitted together. This information, together with Chippendale's detailed account for the upholstery items, provided the basis for the reconstruction. No original drawings or any other historical evidence survived except for the few photographs taken of the dome in the early 1970s and illustrated in Christopher Gilbert's seminal work on Thomas Chippendale.2 As a result of this exercise, it was found that although there were many losses to the carved attached ornament, the only major sections missing were the three cornices of swagged roses, the mouldings to which they had been attached, and the plaster emblematic tablets, mentioned in Chippendale's description of the bed, quoted above.

However, these items were crucial to the design and a search was mounted to try and find any fragments which at least would establish a possible design. The house, its cellars, attics and storerooms were explored, the archives and pictorial records were studied again and any possible contact was approached in the hope that some part might come to light. The exercise proved unexpectedly rewarding. Some of the brass pulleys and cloakpins for the bed posts were regained, further detailed photographs of the dome were found from the 1970s and, although nothing of the plaster tablets or cornice moulding was uncovered, three sections of richly carved swags of roses were detected among the many different fragments examined. This was a most exciting find. Not only were the swags appropriate in design and subject, suiting the scale of the bed, but one end of each piece was deliberately shaped at the back to slot over a narrow moulding. The size of the cornice moulding had always provided a dilemma. This evidence, however, suggested that only a slim profile, following the shape of the dome canopy where the screw holes were still visible, could practically and aesthetically have accommodated the awkward junctions with the bed post capitals and the plaster tablets. The design of the structure and the position of the applied ornament had also to be considered (See note 1) in conjunction with the hangings in order to complete an accurate picture of the whole bed. As already mentioned, very little of the fabric and none of the trimmings had survived and therefore it was Chippendale's bill and a knowledge of his work and that of his contemporaries that provided the vital clues in the reconstruction. The cost of the upholstery and materials, as one would expect, had been substantial, far in excess of any other bed produced by Chippendale. The bedding alone amounted to nearly £46. Whilst there is no reference to the cost or quantity of damask used to hang the bed, acquired personally by Edwin Lascelles (it was usual for the patron to provide the silk fabric), the linings and trimmings were listed in concise detail, recording their colour, price and the amount supplied. Analysis showed that the curtains had been self-lined - a considerable extravagance as the cost of damask could be more than treble the cost of a plain silk , generally used to back silk damask bed curtains. In this case, the plain silk (lustring @ 6s 6d a yard) was only supplied to line the valances. Trimmings had played a highly visual role in the design; at least eighteen of the tassels listed were for decoration only, and the 104 yards of 'rich Belladine silk fringe Green & Yellow' at the princely sum of twelve shillings per yard, was the most expensive fringe recorded in the Chippendale accounts.

Using the physical evidence visible on the bed to decipher the information provided by the bill, the upholstery design began slowly to evolve. It was clear from the position of the carved and gilded moulding on the underside of the dome canopy that the top valances had hung only on the outside of the bed and not inside the dome. Tack holes in the narrow curved fillet edging the canopy showed where the four pairs of curtains, drawn 'in drapery', had been attached, pulled up by '8 Brass Pulleys', two to a post.

Screw fixings were visible for these metal reels in a narrow groove specifically channelled into each bed post capital to take the lines of cord supplied. Further down the posts, screw holes were also found for the four pairs of 'wrought' cloakpins.

The style of the valances and the positioning of the twelve large and ten smaller tassels as part of their overall design, however, initially provided more of a problem. A number of configurations were attempted using as source material the various plates published in Chippendale's third edition of The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker's Director (1762), and surviving contemporary beds, particularly the State Bed at Osterley Park designed by Robert Adam for Robert Child in 1775-76. But only after the discovery of the three gilded festoons of roses from the cornice did a convincing design for the top valances fall into place. Their curved shape suggested that there had originally been four limewood swags at the foot and two sides of the bed, probably linked together by a carved ribbon, a decorative feature frequently found in Chippendale's work. The fabric festoons could only have echoed their shape and, as a conceit seen also on the carved festoon curtains in the Gallery at Harewood, the large silk tassels may have hung beneath the mock ribbons, two in the centre and one either side, suspended from the total of six yards of cord provided. The smaller tassels would have been used on the base valances forming a counter-balance to the design above. It is possible that part of the set may have also been required for pulling up the bed curtains, reflecting the use of similar tassels provided for the drapery window curtains in the bedroom and dressing room.

While this research was underway, the all-important question of funding for the restoration was being pursued. Extensive sums were clearly required and there were a number of false starts. How ever, in 1998, the Harewood House Trust decided to make an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund. Research was completed, estimates were drawn up, and designs reviewed. In February 1999 the news came through that the bid had been successful, subject to completion by March 2000. The time scale was very tight, leaving no margin for error, but after more than ten years of waiting, the race against the clock began.

Repair and consolidation of the bed structure started immediately and various orders were placed. A slight warp in the oak bed rails was adjusted, bed slats were made following the layout from another Chippendale bed at Harewood, and three mattresses were designed and filled in accordance with the account and surviving examples. The silk damask, which had been rewoven in the early 1980s, had since been made into wallhangings for the room so a further order was placed, together with green silk to line the valances and green tammy (glazed wool) for the underside of the coverlet, recorded separately in the accounts. A total of six brass pulleys and five cloakpins had been retrieved and, although badly corroded, they provided good evidence of their original lacquered finish, typical of Chippendale's metal work. These pieces were cleaned and repaired and used as a pattern for the new ones required. Casts were also made to replace the three plaster 'Basso Relievos' originally supplied for the cornice by William Collins. These tablets had probably depicted three different mythological love scenes but their whereabouts remained a mystery. Despite considerable research for suitable alternatives, only one design was found which was considered appropriate - a scene depicting Venus and Cupid believed to have been supplied by Chippendale for the fireplace surround in the East Bedroom at Harewood. This image had the added advantage of being perfect in size and proportion, fitting into the recesses of the fluted ornament of the dome canopy.

Of paramount importance throughout the restoration was the conservation and re-use of as many of the original elements as possible. Many hours and much effort was given to retaining every fragment of carved ornament. Each piece was cleaned, consolidated and, where necessary, backed with linen for strength. Only complete losses were replaced with new carving, spliced in to complete the various bands of original ornament. Sections were carved to match exactly the surviving fragments or, as in the case of the lost central paterae inside the dome, photographs taken in the 1970s were used. The area of greatest loss was inside the dome where most of the applied ornament had once been held in place by thin steel pins over the green damask. Here, for example, there had originally been fifty-two star-shaped paterae of which as many as twenty had to be replaced.

In addition, the gesso and gold leaf had to be reapplied as nearly all traces had disappeared except from the top vase finial. This survival was most fortuitous for although in poor condition it gave a very good idea, once cleaned, of the richness of its original finish and provided a formula for the treatment of the rest of the bed. With great care, combined with a thorough working knowledge of Chippendale's technique, several thin layers of gesso were applied to provide an even surface for the gilding but fine enough to retain all the intricate detail carved on the posts, the dome and the applied ornament. The entire area was then water gilded. The vase finial had revealed that the gilding had been enhanced and enlivened by a sophisticated toning scheme with contrasting areas of matt and burnished gold creating an alternating rhythm. This brilliant finish was imitated on all surfaces. It was very apparent from every section of carved detail on the bed and the gilt vase finial that nothing had been skimped. Such thoroughness in areas not easily visible is only found in the very finest of Chippendale's work.

The same richness and attention to detail must also have applied to the upholstery. The extravagant use of damask and the exorbitant amount of fringe suggests a very lavish effect. The trimmings were woven in two colours - green and yellow - always more expensive than a single colour scheme. In replicating this effect, the green tone was taken from unfaded samples of the original damask and the yellow was matched to the trimmings on the Osterley state bed. The two colours were used to weave the large quantities of lace (braid) required to bind the fabric edges, but then mainly concealed by the fringe. The decorative diamond pattern chosen was widely used by upholsterers of the time, including Chippendale. The style of the pear-shaped tassels with their netted tops, looped ruffs and knotted skirts can be seen in a number of his designs, the alternating green and yellow threads in their skirts echoing that of the fringe which was again copied from surviving versions. A similar fringe, for example, woven in a single colour but without hangers, can be found on the three beds made by Chippendale for the third Earl of Egremont in 1777 - 78 at Petworth House, Sussex. A longer form was used to border the window curtains he supplied for the tapestry room at Newby Hall, Yorkshire for William Weddell c.1775. Unfortunately the bills for Newby do not survive so the price of the fringe is not known. It would have been more expensive than the Petworth examples, mainly as a result of the intricate hangers positioned at intervals, so time-consuming to make. It is very likely that the fringe for the state bed had similar decorative pendants, in view of its high cost and the use of the term 'belladine' in the description, and these have been reproduced in green and yellow silk.

Without doubt, the Harewood bed was a tour de force. It was one of the most expensive pieces of furniture produced by Chippendale and certainly the most important in combining his skills as a cabinet maker and upholsterer. It is very rare in a bed of this type, where fabric and trimmings are so dominant, for the cost of the woodwork to represent such a high proportion - more than a third - of the total cost. Usually the price of the structure and carved details are minimal in comparison. But this bed is of exceptional quality in all areas of craftsmanship and it is deeply rewarding to see it returned to its former magnificence.

Terence Suthers, Director, Harewood House Trust

Jane Sellars, Principal Curator, Harewood House Trust

Hugh Roberts, Independent Adviser

William McCombe, Carvers and Gilders

Aasha Tyrrell, Carvers and Gilders

Annabel Westman, Historic Furnishing Textiles

Albert E.Chapmans Ltd. (upholstery)

James Codrington (cabinet maker)

Context Weavers (wool fabric and braid)

The Humphries Weaving Company Ltd (silk fabrics)

Paul Jewby (carver)

Tom Leadlay (metalwork)

Tom Pearce (plaster tablets)

Pocket Spring Bed Company (mattresses)

G.J.Turner & Co.(passementerie)

- Annabel Westman

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